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LEFTOVERS: A Buchanan aide resigns, Joe the Plumber’s fee, prosecutors for Wagner, Jones stays on the ballot

Republican Mary Beth Buchanan has gotten more bad headlines than good during her short campaign for Congress in the 4th District. Her biggest PR splash was when she told a radio host to “shut up” in February, and now The Post-Gazette reports that the former U.S. Attorney’s campaign manager has resigned. Kurt Acker, a former legislative staffer for the now-indicted state Senator Jane Orie, left the campaign Friday. He hasn’t been charged with anything, but he’s quoted in the grand jury’s presentment as saying “they would all be in handcuffs” if the state attorney general’s office knew about the alleged campaign work done on taxpayer time.

“Due to circumstances beyond my control, I believe I have become a distraction from your message and I would not want to impede your march to becoming our next congresswoman,” Acker wrote in his resignation.

Meanwhile, turns out Joe the Plumber got some green for that visit to Harrisburg on behalf of Sam Rohrer in February. Capitolwire (subscription only) reports that new campaign finance data shows a pair of $2,000 payments from Rohrer’s gubernatorial campaign to the man whose real name is Samuel Wurzelbacher. “Mr. the Plumber” showed up for Rohrer when the conservative underdog was holding his own sort of counter-convention during the Republican State Committee meeting a couple months ago. Rohrer senor strategist Jeff Coleman defended the payments, saying they were given before our friend Joe gave what Coleman was a surprise endorsement.

On the other side of the aisle, Democratic Jack Wagner got some District-Attorney-Tough support Friday, when three local D.A.’s endorsed his gubernatorial candidacy. This came a day after Wagner pitched his infrastructure plan in Philly—an event we must offer our regrets to General Wagner for missing, considering that it was only blocks from our office. The trio of county prosecutors backing him Friday was Northampton’s John Morganelli, Westmoreland’s John Peck and Schuylkill’s James Goodman. Morganelli was the party’s candidate against Attorney General Tom Corbett.

“Jack is uniquely qualified to make good government reforms a reality,” Morganelli said in s statement  I have seen his work as Auditor General in rooting out corruption and advocating measures that will ensure honest government.  He has a track record of integrity and proven results, and will be a reform Governor capable of overhauling bad systems to reduce bad outcomes.”

And lastly, Republican James Jones will be on the ballot. A state judge on Friday ruled against a ballot challenge brought by a staffer for Gloria Carlineo, one of his primary opponents in the 8th Congressional District, The Bucks County Courier Times reports. Jones had blasted Carlineo for making the challenge. Mike Fitzpatrick, the front-runner in the primary, said Friday that he raised half-a-million bucks in two months.

April 9, 2010 at 7:00 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Gloria Carlineo, Jack Wager, James Jones, Joe the Plumber, Mary Beth Buchanan, Mike Fitzpatrick, PA-4, PA-8, Sam Rohrer

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